Guidry said Bayou Chauvin is too narrow and shallow to hold all the water from a major storm surge.

In addition to widening and deepening the bayou, the parish also wants to dig a 40-acre retention pond just south of Woodlawn Ranch Road that will be used to capture excess runoff the bayou can’t contain.

“Not only are we widening and deepening Bayou Chauvin, but the dirt dug out of that retention pond will be used to build up the Ward 7 Levee,” Guidry said. “That will really lower the water level.”

The dirt will also be used to build up the Ashland North Levee, said Jeane Bray, parish capital outlay administrator.

“The parish will get higher protection, and having that reservoir in the area will contain that runoff water,” Bray said. “So it’s a dual-purpose project.”

The project will extend from the agriculture building on the Houma Air Base and end at the pump station at the south side of Woodlawn Ranch Road.

To deepen the bayou, contractors will use an excavator, Bray said.

The plans are still preliminary, so bids have not gone out yet, but Gulf South Engineers has already done a thorough study and is putting together plans for the parish to approve, Bray said.

Bray said the project will help save taxpayers money.

Instead of paying for dirt and hiring a contractor to haul the dirt from far away, the dirt will already be available, and the levee section is nearby, Bray said.

“So right there you’re saving because you have less transportation costs,” she said.

Bray said there are no hard figures for how much the project will cost, but the parish has money budgeted for drainage projects such as this one.

Mary Aucoine, captain of Roberta Grove’s Neighborhood Watch, said the project seems like a smart plan to alleviate the drainage issues the area has been subjected to over the years.

“Flooding has been the more severe problem we have,” she said. “We’ve been fighting for (the parish) to do something, and if this gets done we’ll be thrilled about it.”

Aucoine said it’s about time that Bayou Chauvin “is made into a bayou instead of a ditch.”

<p>Terrebonne Parish is working on plans to deepen and widen Bayou Chauvin to alleviate flooding issues for neighborhoods near Woodlawn Ranch Road, Roberta Grove and Mechanicville. </p><p>When heavy rains hit, the bayou overflows and floods Thompson Road and surrounding neighborhoods, said Councilman Dirk Guidry. </p><p>Guidry said Bayou Chauvin is too narrow and shallow to hold all the water from a major storm surge.</p><p>In addition to widening and deepening the bayou, the parish also wants to dig a 40-acre retention pond just south of Woodlawn Ranch Road that will be used to capture excess runoff the bayou can't contain. </p><p>“Not only are we widening and deepening Bayou Chauvin, but the dirt dug out of that retention pond will be used to build up the Ward 7 Levee,” Guidry said. “That will really lower the water level.”</p><p>The dirt will also be used to build up the Ashland North Levee, said Jeane Bray, parish capital outlay administrator.</p><p>“The parish will get higher protection, and having that reservoir in the area will contain that runoff water,” Bray said. “So it's a dual-purpose project.” </p><p>The project will extend from the agriculture building on the Houma Air Base and end at the pump station at the south side of Woodlawn Ranch Road.</p><p>To deepen the bayou, contractors will use an excavator, Bray said.</p><p>The plans are still preliminary, so bids have not gone out yet, but Gulf South Engineers has already done a thorough study and is putting together plans for the parish to approve, Bray said. </p><p>Bray said the project will help save taxpayers money. </p><p>Instead of paying for dirt and hiring a contractor to haul the dirt from far away, the dirt will already be available, and the levee section is nearby, Bray said.</p><p>“So right there you're saving because you have less transportation costs,” she said. </p><p>Bray said there are no hard figures for how much the project will cost, but the parish has money budgeted for drainage projects such as this one.</p><p>Mary Aucoine, captain of Roberta Grove's Neighborhood Watch, said the project seems like a smart plan to alleviate the drainage issues the area has been subjected to over the years. </p><p>“Flooding has been the more severe problem we have,” she said. “We've been fighting for (the parish) to do something, and if this gets done we'll be thrilled about it.” </p><p>Aucoine said it's about time that Bayou Chauvin “is made into a bayou instead of a ditch.”</p>